Our Ear, Nose and Throat Experts
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s ear, nose and throat (ENT) team offers the most advanced and comprehensive ENT care in the region. Our sub-specialists are skilled in a broad range of disciplines including audiology, balance, voice disorders, cranial base surgery, otology and neurotology, and more.Our Audiologists

Laura Feeney, AuD
Audiologist
Laura Feeney, AuD, earned both her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her doctoral degree in Audiology from The Ohio State University. She has been with the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery since 2007. She is certified by the American Board of Audiology and is a member of the American Academy of Audiology. Her clinical interests include diagnostic testing, hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Laura Garish, AuD
Audiologist
Laura Garish, AuD, earned her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 1992 and master’s degree from the University of Akron in 1994. She completed her doctorate degree in 2001 at the University of Florida. She worked as the director of Audiology in the Huntington Ear Clinic in Huntington, West Virginia, from 1994-1996 and joined the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 1997. Laura is a founding member, board member and treasurer of the nonprofit foundation, Project EAR, Inc.

Brenda Hall, AuD
Audiologist
Brenda Hall, AuD, graduated from the University of North Carolina with a master’s degree in Audiology. She received her doctoral degree from Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2010. She has been a member of the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery since 1991. Her interests include working with patients with cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Meghan Hiss, AuD
Audiologist
Meghan Hiss, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science and her Doctor of Audiology degree from The Ohio State University in 2008 and 2012, respectively. She worked as a clinical audiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Columbus Speech and Hearing Center before joining the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2018. Her clinical interests include diagnostic audiology, cochlear implants and the fitting of hearing aids and assistive technology. Dr. Hiss is a research audiologist at the Ohio State Buckeye Center for Hearing and Development. She is board certified by the American Board of Audiology and is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the Ohio Academy of Audiology.

Lauren Johnson, AuD
Audiologist

Kayla Kirk, AuD
Audiologist

Debby LaPrete, AuD
Audiologist
Debby LaPrete, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and her master's degree from the University of Cincinnati. She graduated from the Arizona School of Health Sciences with her doctoral degree in Audiology in 2009. Dr. LaPrete has worked at Ohio State since 1994, and specializes in providing services to recipients of cochlear implants and auditory brainstem implants.

Cari Mickelson, MEd
Audiologist
Cari Mickelson, MEd, graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Audiology. She has worked in a variety of medical settings for the past 25 years. Her interests include diagnostic audiology and hearing aid dispensing. Cari is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Melissa Schnitzspahn, AuD
Manager, Audiology
Melissa Schnitzspahn, AuD, received her bachelor’s degree in Speech and Hearing Science from The Ohio State University in 1998 and her master’s degree in Audiology from Ohio State in 2000. She obtained her doctoral degree in Audiology from the Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2008. Melissa joined the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 2001. Her interests include hearing aid dispensing and cochlear implants.

Saul Strieb, AuD
Audiologist & Vestibular Laboratory Coordinator
Saul Strieb, AuD, obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and his master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Maryland. He received his doctoral degree in Audiology from the University of Florida in 2009. He served as an audiologist at the Washington Hospital Center from 2001 through 2011, before joining the staff of the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in 2011. His clinical interests include hearing aids, BAHA, vestibular assessment and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Gretchen Waggoner, AuD
Audiologist
Gretchen Waggoner, AuD, earned her bachelor's degree in Speech and Hearing Science from Ohio University in 1994 and her master's degree in Audiology from Bowling Green State University in 1996. She earned her doctoral degree in Audiology from the Arizona School of Health Sciences in 2006. She has been an audiologist in the Ohio State Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery since 1996. She is a founding member and secretary of Project EAR, Inc. She has participated in seven mission trips and provides diagnostic services and hearing aid fittings.

Taylor Wucinich, AuD
Audiologist
Our Vestibular Audiology Team

Saul Strieb, AuD
Audiologist and Vestibular Laboratory Coordinator

Taylor Wucinich, AuD
Audiologist
Our Speech Language Pathologists - Voice and Swallowing

Heath Barron, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Anna Lichtenstein, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Jennifer Thompson, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist

Michelle Toth, MA, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist
Helpful Links
- Department of Otolaryngology
- Annual Report
- History
- Refer a Patient
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Contact
If you need to schedule a patient appointment, please call 614-366-3687.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery
Eye and Ear Institute
915 Olentangy River Road
Suite 4000
Columbus, OH 43212Mark Inman, MBA
COO and Administrator
Mark.Inman@osumc.edu
Phone: 614-293-3470
Fax: 614-293-7292